Bolloré in Cameroon: Another fox in charge of the hen-house?

I’ve just seen a totally good rant by Ekoko Mandengue here. I’ve just got to quote you the first paragraph, then I’ll get down to what I wanted to write.

Today, unskilled Chinese laborers are building our sports stadiums, shadowy Corsican Mafia interests run our national lottery -PMUC, SNEC has been sold to Moroccans and the Bolloré cartel brazenly fights- off Portuguese business interests as it seeks total control of all critical transportation infrastructure inside Cameroon(Bolloré already has controlling stakes in CAMRAIL and major logistics companies operating in Cameroon). Our children will not look kindly on us: the Indians will soon be growing our cassava in Nanga-Eboko, and Chinese immigrants are already frying our puff-puff. At this rate , the kuli-kuli and adakwa sold on our street corners will soon be flavored with Shanghai spit …

Now, on to Bolloré.

I was only vaguely aware of Bolloré in Cameroon until earlier this year when SOCAPALM shares were put up for sale. I was quite keen to acquire a few of them and actually arranged to do so. Then I decided to do a bit of research and saw things about Bolloré that I had never suspected. I do not have any proof of the bad things they do. But I decided not to take the risk of investing my mite in a conglomerate that could be exploiting my people. They won’t miss my tiny amount of money, of course, but it’s the principle of the thing, is it not? Anyway, I am putting the results of my web-crawling here for you to see.

When one company is involved in your ports, your railway, your oil palm, your rubber, your timber, your aluminium, your road transport, an oil pipeline passing through your country, what do you call it? You call it your owner.

Bolloré  is big. Really big. There’ s a map of its global interest on its site here.

And they’ve got nothing to hide, it would seem. This document here proudly lists Bolloré ’s interests – in some detail.

It lists, amongst others, EACS, ANTRAK, SAGA, SOCOPAO, SDV, SDV Transmi, and AFRITRAMP. It owns terminal operator DTI in Douala, delivers containers to Douala, and is involved in long-haul trucking. I thought the Alhajis in the north were in charge of that?

It owns warehouses, is involved in dredging via SEPBC [Société d’Exploitation des Parcs à Bois du Cameroun  - a timber yard] and SDCA, has a stake in Camrail, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, air freight, door-to-door logistics, and SAFACAM.

Bolloré  is also involved in the Kribi deep sea port (where an iron ore terminal is to be built ). Note that ore is to be exported. We're too dumb to transform iron into anything useful.

This blog says:

Le groupe Bolloré réalise le gros de son chiffre d'affaires au Cameroun où, il contrôle le port de Douala, le chemin de fer, le transport maritime, le transit, (toute la logistique maritime et terrestre), exploite les essences rares de la forêt camerounaise (surexploitation) et, n'est pas en reste sur ces produits: hévéa, caoutchouc, huile de palme, banane, coton, cacao et café.

I translate:

Bolloré ’s largest turnover is in Cameroon, where it controls the port of Douala, the railway, maritime transport, transit (all maritime and terrestrial logistics), (over)exploits rare timber species, and has a not insignificant stake in rubber plantations, rubber, palm oil, bananas, cotton, cocoa and coffee.

Just in case you did not know.

Greenpeace  reported in 2000 that

“European logging companies traditionally dominate the Cameroon forestry sector with French and Italian consortia being particularly dominant. The French companies Thanry; Bolloré, Coron & Rougier and the Italian groups Alpi-Spa and Vasto Legne all rank amongst the biggest Cameroonian loggers. European loggers tend to get access to the most pristine, unlogged forests (the frontier forests in East province) Three parent groups, partially or wholly financed by French interests, retain almost a third of Cameroon's logging concessions.”

It seems, however, that Bolloré  has since pulled out of direct exploitation to managing the transport and storage of timber prior to export.

And this site says:

“In Cameroon, Bolloré’s nickname is “the last emperor”. The group is present in the petroleum industry (Chad–Cameroon pipeline), in sea transport for exportation and in the wood business. The group also controls about 40,000 ha of oil palm plantations, particularly through the Belgian company Socfinal. The latter, which flourished thanks to the Belgian colonization in Africa, exploits 31,000 ha of oil palms in Cameroon (SOCAPALM and the Ferme suisse), as well as other oil palm plantations in Indonesia and elsewhere in Africa, totalising an area of more than 140,000 ha.”

A first article in Le Monde Diplo:

Bolloré profite de la vague de privatisations imposée aux pays africains par les institutions financières internationales (IFI), obtenant la concession d’infrastructures stratégiques héritées, elles aussi, de l’époque coloniale

Which I translate as

Bolloré  took advantage of the wave of privatisation imposed on African countries by international financial institutions, obtaining strategic concessions which were […] a heritage of the colonial era.

Who said colonialism has stopped? Especially when the same article adds:

L’Afrique est comme une île, reliée au monde par les mers, expliquait un ancien du groupe Bolloré en 2006. Donc, qui tient les grues tient le continent

I translate:  “Africa is like an island, connected to the world by the oceans”, a former Bolloré  employee said in 2006. “So whoever owns the cranes owns the continent”.

Reassuring, no?

When Mr Biya visited France or “la Fronce” – to  use a term a friend of mine coined – in 2007, one of the Bolloré  newspapers put him on its cover page. And well they might. For, according to Sam Nuvala Fonkem, Mr Etoundi Oyono was sacked as head of the Douala Autonomous Port because:

“He was in the process of reviewing the dubious 8-billion[CFAF]-a-year contract awarded to the French Bolloré Group, to dredge the 50-km long waterway of the Wouri estuary. The contract carried the stench of corruption and Etoundi Oyono was about to sanitise the air when the axe fell without a warning.”

An article in April’s Monde Diplo suggests that it was strange that Etoundi Oyono was sacked so soon after Mr Biya had congratulated him publicly. Who, or what, changed Mr Biya’s mind so swiftly?

And just a little aside in Mr Fonkem’s article, in case all of this is getting boring:

"Just for the record, Mr. Etoundi was not the first manager to realise the wastefulness of contracting foreign companies for the dredging exercise. When Mr. Dibong took over from Mr. Ngann Yonn as GM in 1985, he terminated the dredging contract with a Dutch firm Boscalis, which was scooping an untidy sum of FCFA 600 million per month while using equipment and machinery owned by the Douala Port.

He investigated and discovered that there was, and still is, a Cameroonian shipping pilot who could do the job and he did it. It is alleged that the Dutch contractors were so incensed that they poisoned the trays of shrimps and lobsters that had been supplied for their farewell dinner organised by Douala Port. Thanks to a vigilant steward who sent a warning signal to all the staff after noticing that the foil used in covering the trays had tiny perforations, disaster was averted."

Now, that is an allegation, mind you.

Back to Bolloré.

One might say that private concerns such as Bolloré  would manage a public service like the railways more efficiently. But that is not true, as many disgruntled travellers in England will tell you. It is even less true if, as Monde Diplo says [in my translation]

 “…the increase in passengers fares and the closure of railway lines considered to be “unprofitable”: with a higher return on investment, it is mostly the “useful network” , i.e. goods transport, which has benefitted the most from the privatisation."

So people don’t count. But goods are more profitable to transport, eh? Is the railway not a public service? This is what happens when you cede control of your property to people who are not interested in you.

A Monde Diplo Blog has harrowing pictures of Bolloré ’s record with regard to SOCAPALM.

Let me leave you with this last picture of Mr Biya on the cover of one of Mr Bolloré’s papers on 26 October 2007.

In regard to the picture, this website says [in my translation]:The Bolloré  group is awaiting the African head of state’s decision on a major project, the construction of an 800-km railway line linking Cameroon to the Central African Republic.

…

The newspaper neglected to mention that  Vincent Bolloré was granted audience by the African head of state on Wednesday.

Ar no bin tok? So the timber and other raw materials can get out faster. More in that vein here. and if you have any illusions left, see this one.

Happy gnashing of the teeth.

Comments

[Anike]

Enanga, impressive research! That quote by the Bollore employee is a stab to the chest! Talking like that in this day and age... but he speaks the truth, doesn't he? We have to redouble our efforts to control key resources in our country, even though the obstacles seem so insurmountable. How do we do this? I wonder if the government requires that the companies train and give a good share of the work to Cameroonians. I guess this would cut into their profits... How about subcontracting some of the work to Cameroonian companies?

I just returned from a conference where American companies were showcasing their social consciousness - because increasingly the American consumers demand this - More Cameroonians need to be more demanding consumers. Gnashing of teeth for sure!

[Neba Fuh]

This investigative piece projects more light on the numerous economic maneuvers that the Biya regime is performing with his French 'suckers', resulting to the impoverishment of the masses.
Thanks for highlighting it.

[Baute]

GOOD DIG YOU HAVE DONE HERE.
For Camerooninans to take control of some of its resources,businesses and have some influence politically,we need brains first,then money second.Money in the hands of lousy thinkers is nothing,but money in the hands of smart people is gold.
How to do it:
Form a website OR forum inviting IT experts,Accountants,Lawyers.scientists across the spectrum of science( all should be Cameroonian nationalist).Then raise money by contacting interested cameroonians and small business owners in Cameroon.Then we get to work,at thesame time, we should invest in education,forming a think tank that will continue with the work years to come.I guess this will be a good start for a tough job ahead.